Heroism
by WolfLogic
Summary: Sometimes, to protect something precious, you have to make that greatest sacrifice, and pass on the torch. One hero makes sure to go with a smile on his face, while going down fighting, inspiring the next to rise up.


"Rrggh…" The cloaked warrior growled, sword trembling in his arm, the latter laced with bleeding, possibly poisoned wounds. Hood for the moment still covering his face, he stared ahead at the horde in front of him. Knights, berserkers, swordmasters, paladins, assassins, and even grandmasters. All reeking of pure black magic. He was outgunned, outnumbers, and underpowered against them all. But he was all that stood against this horde and the village just to the south.

_No matter time or place, if I hear you call my name, know that everything will be okay…_

Lyrics ran through his mind, and they empowered him to stand back up, Killing Edge readied. Ducking an axe strike that blew his hood down, the scarred warrior's face was revealed, oddly showing a grin with more than a few teeth missing or chipped.

_With a smile on my face, I will face that darkest day. They rely on me when it all needs saved…_

Parrying a similar blade to his, he kicked the assassin away, caving in its chest and nullifying it for the moment, before spinning and giving the axe fighter in front of him a diagonal cleaving. Some room to breathe…

Opening his Elfire tome in his left hand, he chanted the spell, ready to aim at the next enemy coming towards him… which came from behind as he spun and cast, incinerating the previous assassin, going for a cut at his legs with their barely functional arm blades.

_I've held the weight of the world, and I carry the fire… A symbol of hope, a symbol of peace, a man to admire…_

Casting another gout of flame at an oncoming armored horseman, and sidestepping to cast a third, he panted, downing a bit of a Vulnerary.

_I burn as intense as the sun with passion and desire… Unlock every gate, whatever it takes when the fight's looking dire…  
_

Switching back to his Killing Edge, he concentrated, body glowing with white light and striking the armored paladin down for good with a Luna critical. "I'll never give up..!"

_Doesn't matter time or place, if I hear you call my name, know that everything will be okay. With a smile on my face, I will face that darkest day. They rely on me when it all needs saved.  
__  
_"Raaah!" With another critical, albeit another blow, through the head of a mage attempting Nosferasu, he didn't notice the arrow heading towards his neck… until another knocked it away.

_There's an era approaching when I'll…_

He turned to look, seeing the young woman he met only that morning on the docks, hiding among some rocks with another arrow ready in what appears to be a Surefire Bow: Accurate, but keeping her stuck in that location… and yet she had a look of fearlessness in her eyes.

_When I'll have to pass on the torch. When you'll follow in these steps, on the path that I've scorched…_

He gave her a subtle nod as thanks, before parrying a barrage of blows from a Swordmaster and countering with a singular Ignis strike through their neck, spreading cherry blossoms around himself. Together they made a bit more of a dent, but he was running out of steam slowly but surely.

_There'll come a time when I'm wearing down… But you can rest assured, that it isn't now!_

Forcing some of his own life force into his tome, he evolved it to an Arcfire, and cast it with as much power as he could at the trio of archers trying to flank him. "Dig deeper!"

_Doesn't matter time or place, if I hear you call my name, know that everything will be okay! With a smile on my face, I will face that darkest day, they rely on me when it all needs saved!_

Having cleared a path forward, He spotted both the chieftain, and the Sorcerer who awakened all these dead bodies into this wretched state. Downing the last of his Vulnerary, he sprinted forward, slashing through all that opposed him with Sol activating every hit that wasn't a critical.

"Rushing to your death, I see. Crush him!" The sorcerer cackled, and at his command, the Risen chieftain, a Hero class, rushed at the hero, Brave Axe shining white against the black and red battlefield. Swinging downwards in a critical strike, the cloaked warrior dodged the axe and got in close, releasing the last of his Killing Edge's durability in another Luna critical, taking the Risen chieftain out in one fell blow. 

"Rrrgh… fine, I'll do it myself, you wretched bug!" The sorcerer spat out, readying a glowing Ruin tome… Forged for higher power, it looked like. With his sword shattered, he tossed the hilt at the sorcerer to distract him and get his Arcfire ready. But his movements started to slow: the poison from earlier strikes slowly creeping through him despite the healing potions. He had one chance.

"If I'm going down to hell, then you're coming down with me, filthy hag!" He spat with all the venom he could muster, petals flowing around him as Ignis once again activated. Magic clashed… and clashed, both good and evil forcing every bit of power their tomes had into their attacks… and the dark magic was winning.

Suddenly, another arrow flew by, nicking the Sorcerer and blowing off their hood. "What the?!" Growling at the archeress who'd approached… and lapsing in his concentration.

"Now!"

Powering all of his magical and physical strength into his spell, the warrior sucked the dark magic into his fireball, and it collided into the Sorcerer for a direct, lethal hit, immolating him in his own dark magic and in purple petals and flames. With his death, every Risen left froze in place, before slowly disintegrating, weapons falling harmlessly into the blood-stained dirt around them. The battle was over, won. But not without a price.

….

The warrior fell to his knees, his last weapon burning down to cinders in his scarred, blackened hand. The poison rushing through his veins as he stared up at the girl who saved his life. "I leave my burden… my task… to you… protect your village… with your life… You have all the power you need…." Giving her one last toothy smile before falling into the dirt, his last breath used to close his eyes peacefully, the sweet release of death taking him.

The warrioress wiped her falling tears as she looked to the sky, which, while cloudy earlier, was now beginning to open up and pour down rain. "A terrible day for rain, really…"

Before she turned to head back home… she bowed to the freshest corpse on the battlefield, giving respect to the warrior that gave her a reason to protect. And then she ran back in the rain… planning to tell her parents about her newfound desire to enlist in the haildom's militia.


End file.
